Art thieves hit mansion in new heist

Five pictures, including a lithograph by Picasso, have been stolen from a private art collection in France.

The thieves broke into the Museum of Modern Art in Paris

The owner, in his 60s, was beaten up in the robbery at his mansion. It came a day after a raid at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris last Thursday, in which five paintings worth £100million were taken, including one by Picasso.

Two men knocked on the door of the manâs home in Marseilles after being let through a security gate.

âThe owner of the house believed they were on legitimate business,â said a police spokesman.

âOnce in the house, they attacked him, punching him repeatedly and forcing him to switch off all security devices. âThey then helped themselves to the five paintings, including a lithograph by Picasso.

The haul was worth a great deal of money,â added the spokesman.

Meanwhile, police in Paris said the face of the museum raider was caught on CCTV â but the image was so poor it resembled a âcubist paintingâ and was unlikely to be able to identify him. The camera was faulty, officers said.

Other security lapses included an alarm system that had been broken for almost two months and three âdozingâ guards who saw nothing.

None of the paintings was insured, according to a source close to Parisâs deputy mayor, Christophe Girard.